Universal Studios revealed a brand-new Hippogriff animatronic at Fan Fest 2026 as part of its new Harry Potter experience, and it blew me away; it's truly an incredible creation.

Let's jump back to Fan Fest 2025, which also offered a Harry Potter experience. Last year's setup was much smaller. Instead of a maze-like experience, fans could watch and interact with new magical creatures in the Hogwarts area, including a Niffler, an Occamy, and a Baby Dragon. That was well done, but Universal Studios upgraded the Harry Potter setup significantly for 2026.

For those who want to attend Fan Fest Nights 2026, the event runs for 12 select nights between April 23 and May 16.

For horror fans, Universal's Halloween Horror Nights has become an infamous staple in the studio's theme parks around the world. Known for its haunted houses based on both original ideas and well-known IPs, scare zones filled with all-too-convincing actors, and innovative culinary creations, there's no question why many count down all year for the seasonal event to roll around. Now, Universal has designed a way to make that wait a little easier.

Horror Unleashed delivers the thrills of Halloween Horror Nights year-round for the first time ever. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, Horror Unleashed features four haunted houses: Universal Monsters, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Scarecrow: The Reaping, and Blumhouse's The Exorcist: Believer. In between walking (or running) through the haunts, attendees can enjoy live entertainment, interactive scare zones, and themed food and bars. A second Horror Unleashed location is set to open in Chicago, Illinois, in 2027, expanding to the Midwest. 

Horror Unleashed isn't just a spooky warehouse; in true Universal storytelling fashion, it's filled with haunted props from films, some of which may have brought a few unwelcome guests to Vegas. Halfway to Halloween, Universal Studios invited The Direct to Las Vegas to step into the fog and experience Horror Unleashed firsthand. After taking it all in, it's safe to say that it is the premier horror attraction for those brave enough to face their fears. 

Disneyland in California officially removed the biggest Hidden Mickey from its property, likely to make way for the park's upcoming Coco attraction. For decades, Disney has prided itself on hiding different silhouettes or outlines of Mickey Mouse's head around its theme parks, and fans have taken great joy in finding all of them. Coined "Hidden Mickeys," these Easter eggs can be found all over Disney Parks, and come in all sizes.

As shared by Scott Gustin via X, Disney has permanently removed its biggest Hidden Mickey at Disneyland in California, as construction crews have begun demolition work on the area. This Hidden Mickey is not even technically inside one of the California parks, but is still on property.

LEGO is coming off an all-star year in 2025 that was headlined by its brand-new Star Wars Death Star, selling for a whopping $1000 with a 9023-piece build to keep fanatic collectors busy for days. There was truly something for everyone, with new sets from Marvel, DC, Star Wars, Pirates of the Caribbean, How to Train Your Dragon, Stranger Things, and even the worlds of Nintendo, featuring a fully buildable Game Boy and a kart-riding Mario. 

Sadly, fans of one brand may be disappointed in 2026, as LEGO appears to be continuing its frustrating Batman-centric trend. In some ways, that shouldn't be a surprise, especially since one of the brick brand's biggest offerings of the year is actually coming to consoles and PC with LEGO Batman: The Legacy of the Dark Knight, the latest hilariously epic experience from developer TT Games.

But, for those looking for something more classically LEGO, these 10 new sets are undeniably the most exciting releases confirmed for 2026 so far...

If there's one thing the Five Nights at Freddy's franchise is known for, it's the series' intense and incredibly complex lore that fans are constantly diving into and breaking apart. This lore spans across a handful of video game outings, a long series of books, and now two feature films from Universal Pictures and Blumhouse. Given the numerous crazy stories in FNAF, many mysteries continue to perplex fans to this day—a feeling that extends to even the voices behind the characters audiences know and love.

The Direct sat down with Five Nights at Freddy's 2 star Kellen Goff, who voices the killer Freddy Fazbear and Foxy animatronics in the franchise (among other roles, including Toy Freddy in FNAF 2), to talk all things FNAF, where the long-time franchise staple revealed the core lore elements that still confused him to this day.

The first thing that Goff brings up is "the sea monkey Bonnie's thing," which is in reference to a concept introduced in the Fazbear Frights 10: Friendly Face book that saw Fazbear Entertainment experimenting on actual lifeforms—in this case, a genetically altered brine shrimp that looks like Bonnie.

With massive flooding in China affecting one of Thrilljoy's factories, the company was unable to maintain its original presence at New York Comic Con (NYCC), but that did not stop it from making a strong showing nonetheless. Thrilljoy partnered with Toy Temple and exhibited at its booth, where its executives spoke with The Direct.

Thrilljoy's Karissa Marston explained that the company was "actually supposed to exhibit here pretty big with a booth and a party" before the "massive floods." They "are so happy everyone is safe" and were able to turn around an alternative for New York Comic-Con quickly:

"We were actually supposed to exhibit here pretty big with with a booth and a party, but our factory unfortunately had some massive floods with all the terrible weather in China. So, you know, we are so happy everyone is safe. And it was a great pivot with our friends at Toy Temple. And we were really able to get some some stuff out, even though there we didn't bring it exclusive."

Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida is currently in the process of constructing new lands in three of its four theme parks, and now fans can finally see an exhibit detailing what each land will look like and what they could contain. Since the construction of TRON Lightcycle / Run, Disney World has not built any major attractions or areas in any of its four parks. However, in the coming years, fans will be introduced to multiple new lands, attractions, and restaurants.

For the first time since Disney officially announced that it would be developing major new lands, the House of Mouse created an exhibit inside one of its theme parks, showcasing concept art of each land and providing details of what park goers can expect when the lands open. Specifically, the exhibit highlights the Monsters Inc. themed land in Hollywood Studios (which is all but confirmed to be named Monstropolis), the Cars-themed area called Piston Peak in Magic Kingdom, and Tropical Americas at Animal Kingdom.

Image Comics has a new Spawn Christmas story on the way called I Saw Santa. It will tell a disturbing, gruesome tale perfect for the holiday season, with plenty of Spawn charm. The story follows a serial killer who, when they were children, got coal from Santa, a turning point that would transform them into a murderer looking to torment Jolly Ol' Saint Nick.

I Saw Santa will be two oversized issues, telling a contained Christmas story in the Spawn universe, released from Image Comics on November 26, 2025. The book is written by Chris Killian and Andrew Sanders and drawn by artist Thomas Nachlik. 

At New York Comic-Con (NYCC) 2025, The Direct's Russ Milheim sat down with writer Chris Killian, who many might know from his work over at ComicBook.com, to discuss his first-ever comic and how it might entice people who aren't already Spawn fans.

Mondo is a name every collector will know, as the brand is synonomyous with quality collectibles. They work spands countless properties (such as Marvel, DC Comics, TMNT, Godzilla, and more) across a variety of different products, from 1/6 scale figures, to posters, vinyls, and soft vinyls.

The Direct spoke with Mondo exeuctive Hector Arce (Director, Creative and Product Development) at New York Comic Con (NYCC), where he teased what 1/6 scale figure might be next from their Spider-Man: The Animated Series line.

Arce called attention to the fact that Mondo has "a Doctor Doom soft vinyl," a character who "does make an appearance in Spider-Man: The Animated Series." The executive noted that "he could definitely be on the table" for the future. When the topic of the recently announced Lizard figure came up, he went on to list "Green Goblin" and "Hobgoblin" as characters they'd love to get to.

Bioworld is a well-known merchandise company that offers products for everyone's fandoms, including Marvel, DC Comics, Star Wars, anime, and more. It offers items such as unique clothing to celebrate your favorite characters or properties, household items, collectibles, and even luggage, as touted last year at New York Comic-Con (NYCC). 

At NYCC 2025, The Direct spoke with Bioworld's Jason Mayes, Sr. Director of Marketing and Intellectual Property, where he spoke about tackling MCU superhero fatigue in the company's merchandise and where it wants to grow and expand next.

Bioworld's Jason Mayes on Tackling MCU Superhero Fatigue

It's almost Halloween season, and everyone knows what that means: a brand-new selection of terrifying and immersive haunts at Universal Studios' Halloween Horror Nights (HHN). This year, the legendary HHN event has plenty of fan-favorite IPs driving some of its biggest haunted houses, including Five Nights at Freddy's, Terrifier, Jason Universe, Fallout, and more.

Universal Studios Hollywood invited The Direct out to enjoy the festivities this year, and we're here to provide readers with our rankings of 2025's haunted houses. For those new to The Direct's rankings, remember that these are not judged based on how scary they are. Instead, they are evaluated by their immersion, atmosphere, creativity, and overall execution.

Be sure to check out how we ranked this year's Halloween Horror Nights houses over in Orlando.

Universal Studios Orlando's Halloween Horror Nights (HHN) 34 is now open, and with it, the world gets to experience 10 all-new haunted houses. This year, there's not only a handful of fantastic IP (Fallout, Five Nights at Freddy's, Terrifier, and more) but five intriguing original concepts made to bring shivers down your spine.

Universal Studios invited The Direct to Halloween Horror Nights' opening night to experience all of the haunted houses, and it's easily one of the best lineups the event has had in years.

Now, for your reading pleasure, we've ranked all 10 of these new houses. It's important to note that these rankings will not be based on how scary the haunted houses were but instead focus on creativity, design, execution, and overall atmosphere.

Loungefly pulled back the curtain on its design magic during San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) 2025. In an exclusive interview with The Direct, the company's Vice President of Marketing shared how creativity, fan passion, and brand collaborations fuel Loungefly's unique product line that was available to purchase for attendees.

Loungefly's SDCC 2025 lineup featured limited-edition backpacks, crossbody bags, pins, and lanyards inspired by fan-favorite franchises like One Piece, Fantastic Four, Hello Kitty, Clueless, Stitch, and Superman. Aneesah Williams, Vice President of Marketing, shared insight on the new releases and how Loungefly continues to evolve its signature style with The Direct's David Thompson.

The Direct spoke with Heroes & Villains Creative Director Doug Johnson at San Diego Comic-Con 2025 (SDCC), where he helped break down how his merchandise company approached designing and selecting what they bring to consumers.

Johnson revealed that one of the key things he wanted to do with Heroes & Villains, a company that sells clothes and other premium items for everyone's favorite fandoms, was help out fans of Inferno Squadron (who were first introduced in Battlefront 2). He noted that "there's no Inferno [Squad] product in the market," which the company has now fixed. They also wanted to revisit the rebel commando designs, which "did really well" in the past, but in a new era.

As for The Fantastic Four: First Steps, Johnson noted that his initial thought on the film was "to lean harder into the classic and just pay homage to the whole story of the Fantastic Four." He also confirmed that Dr. Doom merchandise, which he previously revealed he wanted to bring to the world last year at SDCC, is definitely on its way, though it could be delayed further due to Avengers: Doomsday's release date shift.

Superman fans were scratching their heads at the first wave of Funko Pops! for DC Studios' first hit movie in the new DCU due to one strange inclusion. The Hammer of Borovia, who has a limited part in the film, had his own spot in the lineup, while Ultraman, a key villain, was relegated to the Hammer's 1/6 Chase figure.

At San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), The Direct spoke with Jason Bischoff, Vice President for Licensing and Business Development at Funko. He revealed why they chose Ultraman as the Chase figure instead of giving him his own spot in the lineup.

Bischoff said that "often you're making stuff 12, 14, sometimes 16 months in advance," and the team at Warner Bros. "didn't necessarily know that they would be merchandising those two things at the same time." This meant that the Funko team "had to be careful and mindful of what was embargoed."

Invincible creator Robert Kirkman teased that more spin-off comics could happen after Battle Beast. The superhero saga has already received several spin-offs, such as Atom Eve & Rex Splode, The Pact, Brit, and Guarding the Globe. Kirkman debuted Battle Beast as a new spin-off starring the intergalactic warrior superhero in search of an opponent to grant him a worthy death. The Battle Beast series will begin in May and take place between his Invincible appearances.

Just weeks before Battle Beast hits comic stores, Robert Kirkman spoke with SFX Magazine and teased that the new series "opens the door" for more spin-off comics. However, while some Invincible characters could return, one major hero may sadly be absent from those plans. The report, unfortunately, made clear that there are "no plans for Invincible himself" to return after he ended the 144-issue series in the far-flung future, ruling over a peaceful galaxy with his wife, Atom Eve, and their children.

The Direct spoke with Mondo's Senior Creative Director Hector Arce in an exclusive interview at WonderCon where he teased what might be next from the fan-favorite company that brings some of the best collectibles on the market.

Could The Lizard Be Mondo's Next Six-Scale Figure From Spider-Man: The Animated Series?

Disney is making a controversial change to the Magic Kingdom, and many fans are upset both by what is being taken away, and what they are getting in exchange.

Back in August, Disney announced that it would be closing the Florida iteration of the Rivers of America and Tom Sawyer's Island — opening day attractions at Walt Disney World and, arguably, key parts of Disney parks iconography — for new experiences based on the movie Cars.

This would not be like the attractions in Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort, as they would not (at least primarily) feature the familiar Cars characters from the movie, but they would be taking up the large plot of land devoted now to the river and island.

Author Sophie Lark released a statement after facing criticism for controversial lines from Sparrow and Vine that surfaced online. 

The romance novelist is weeks away from releasing her latest book, Sparrow and Vine. It is the story of a young woman who embarks on a reluctant marriage to save her family's winery. 

The book is set to hit bookstores in mid-April, picking up steam among the 'booktok' community online, along with hits like the recently released third book in the beloved Empyrean series, Onyx Storm.

Fans are giddy as Onyx Storm author Rebecca Yarros confirmed theories about the book's ending. 

Yarros' beloved series of romance fantasy novels debuted its long-awaited third book in late January, continuing the story of unlikely hero Violet Sorrengail and her ever-evolving romance with fellow dragon rider Xadan Riorson. 

The latest book saw Violet and Xadan venture far and wide as they attempted to overcome a mysterious looming threat known as the venin while trying to potentially cure Xadan of his own venin-induced plight.